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Reiss’s Pieces
Reiss’s Pieces
Wait until I tell you what happened to me just before I was going to come home after a summer at the Cape. First I had a minor stroke and spent two days in the hospital. Not a pleasant way to end the summer, but fortunately I have had no after effects. And then, just as I thought that I was “on the mend,” something almost as bad happened.
Malcolm decided to make me a nice dinner, and this was a day after I got back to the cottage. He went to our local Stop & Shop in South Dennis and bought some delicious Kalamata pitted olives. He took the olives and combined them with some lean chicken breast and served me this luscious dinner. Well, after my first bite, I took another one and I actually heard my tooth snap off! It seems that the “pitted” olives had one in their midst that wasn’t. And not only did the pit snap off a tooth, it was one right in the front of my mouth! Once I found my tooth and the errant pit, I called the manager of the Stop & Shop and he apologized and said he would immediately contact their insurance provider and I shouldn’t worry!
Well, I did worry but I contacted my wonderful dentist, Steve Zonies in Waitsfield and his office assured me that when I got home they would help me. So for ten days I walked around without a tooth in the front of my face. Trust me, this is not really a good look for me. If they were looking for someone to play an old grandmother on the Beverly Hillbillies I would have gotten the part, hands down. Oh, and did I mention that on the 29th of September I would be going to my Sarah’s wedding? And believe me, I didn’t want to go toothless.
Now I am sure you are wondering if I heard anything from the Stop & Shop and/or their insurance provider. Well, I finally did and what they had to say was that this accident was not their responsibility and they weren’t going to pay a cent towards my dental work and new tooth. They said that there had been a sign by the olives that said “Be careful, there might be pits in the pitted olives.” But, friends, there was absolutely no sign when Malc bought those olives. Is there one there now? Of course there is! And this large and well known company is lying through their teeth (which I assume isn’t missing a front tooth) in order to prevent them from paying for my dental work, which will be about $2000!
When I got the letter that told me how none of this was their fault but mine for eating so carelessly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Someone in the Stop & Shop family in South Dennis didn’t check those olives for pits and just poured them all into a big container and buyer beware. And when they heard of my horrific experience they hurriedly made up a warning sign just to cover their error. Do any of you think that this sign was there before my tooth? Don’t be ridiculous, Malc says there was not only no sign, the olives were available to anyone who wanted to fish their own out of the container.
Wouldn’t you think that a company as big and profitable as the Stop & Shop would want to take care of their customers? Especially one that is 73 years old, just had a stroke and will never, ever shop their again? Oh, and I will make sure that all of my friends know how I was treated, too. And just to make their decision even more stupid, within a 25 mile radius of South Dennis there is a Trader Joes and a new Market Basket that is considerably less expensive and ten times bigger!
The good news is that Steve was able to bond my old tooth back into place, although he warned me that it is “just for show” and not for eating. But I will be able to go to the wedding with a full set of teeth even if they are fragile and not for chewing. It will take a month for the new tooth to be created and several hours to put it into place. I know that it probably takes God almost that long to grow a tooth, but I am sure that the tooth that God gave me didn’t cost any where near what this one will.
Now if you have a grandmother or are a grandmother, I suggest you don’t ever buy your groceries at any Stop & Shop because they really don’t care a whit about you or their customers. And if you have to go into one of their stores, don’t ever buy any olives that say “pitted” because it is a crap shoot as to whether they are or not. And look for a sign? Don’t be ridiculous you will only see one after an accident and rest assured that any an all accidents will be your fault. And I don’t believe that any of us can afford that. Either financially or physically!
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